Love Stitched GIVEAWAY {and a discount}

It's time to announce a GIVEAWAY
{and a DISCOUNT} that I am crazy excited about!

{Trust me, you're going to want to WIN some of this glorious awesomeness}

Allow me to introduce you to Love Stitched

And their beautiful line of custom couture accessories.

One lucky winner will receive the elegant 'Claudia" necklace AND a "Little Lou" hair pin in the color of your choice!

How sweet is that?!!!!

Check out some of my other fav's in her shop:

One of the shops most popular designs,

the Breakfast at Tiffany's statement necklace

Or this beautiful rosette necklace:

The Lucy

And these super sweet hair pins come in a ton of fun colors:

My personal favorites are Love Stitched's incredible headbands.

And because Love Stitched loves Little Miss Momma readers so much, she is offering a 15% OFF discount for the next week!
{put Little Miss Momma in the note to seller box at check out}

Ready to WIN this Awesomeness?

Here's how:

You can enter up to 9 times for this giveaway:

1. MANDATORY! Head over to the Love Stitched shop and let me know which items are your favorite!

Sample comment: My favorite is the Breakfast at Tiffany's

2. Become a public blog follower of Little Miss Momma

Sample comment: I am a blog follower of LMM

3. Become a facebook fan of LMM

Sample comment: I am a facebook fan of LMM under the name Jane Doe

4. Become a public follower of the Love Stitched blog
Sample comment: I follow LS under the name Jane Doe


5. Follow LMM on twitter

Sample comment: I follow your tweets under the name JaneDoe

6. Blog about this giveaway. (leave a link)

Sample comment: I blogged about this giveaway at janedoe.blogspot.com

7. Link to this giveaway on Facebook (leave a link)

Sample comment: I facebooked a link to this giveaway at this link: http://janedoefacebook

8. Add the Little Miss Momma Button to your blog.

Sample comment: I added the LMM button to my blog at janedoe.blogspot.com


BONUS ENTRY: Click on the Top Mommy Blogs Button on the right column of this blog and Vote for Little Miss Momma
Sample comment: I voted for LMM as a top mommy blog

*Please leave a separate comment for each thing you do.*

Don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you!!

Good Luck!

Contest will end Monday July 19th at 11:59 pm (MST)

Winner will be announced Tuesday July 20th, 2010
_________________________________________________

Love Stitched also happens to be the author of one of my all-time favorite crafting blogs, so go check her out and say hi from LMM:

Let's Get Organized, Shall We

PART I

{the embarrassing part}

You know when you've been out of town for a while, and then you get back and you feel like your life {and home} have turned into complete chaos during your absence?

Well that's exactly how I felt after getting home from:

Where our family welcomed back my hubby's parents from their 3 year LDS church mission in Leeds, England.

We had such an incredible time with our family.

Baby W had a blast with his older cousins.

He spent the entire trip admiring how his big boy cousins got from place to place using their feet instead of their hands and knees.

So sure enough, as soon as we got home, Baby W decided he was ready to give walking a try for himself.

And just as soon as he took those first steps, he entered a new phase of "curiousness"--and it seemed nothing in our home was off limits to his curiosity.

The second I sprinted into the family room to find him crying with both of his fingers shut in the drawer, I knew it was time to take action.

Time to get organized.

Time to get baby-proofed.

And when I told Baby W about the plan, these were his thoughts:

"But Momma, I like opening and closing every drawer and cupboard in the house--even if my fingers get in the way sometimes--and especially when the cupboard has sharp and dangerous objects inside"

And because I have no shame with y'all,

I have decided to provide you with a handful of my before pictures demonstrating the desperate need my house has for some MAJOR organization.

Exhibit A:

My pantry.

Disgraceful, I know.

But at least the jumbo peanut butter and chocolate milk are readily available.

Exhibit B:

My closet.

I don't even have an excuse for this madness.

Time to execute the golden rule of clothes hoarding:

"If you haven't worn it in a year--trash it".

Exhibit C:

Under my guest bathroom sink.

I just keep my fingers crossed that my guests never open the cupboard.

Exhibit D:

The hubbies cramped closet.

Due to my clothes hoarding illness, the hubby's clothes have gotten the shaft and currently reside in our much too small spare bedroom closet.

Are you embarrassed for me yet?

If so, then you'll be proud of my next step.

First I headed over to my buddy blogger, Leanne, over at

"Organize and Decorate Everything"

for some inspiration.

She has this awesome link party for all organizing posts and I am determined to link up my results by her next party!

So I headed over to Bead, Bath and Beyond--the mecca of organizing goodness--and I picked up a few necessities for the pantry {baby steps}.

No more stale pasta and cereal in this house.

I also picked up all my baby-proofing paraphernalia.

And so it begins.

The organizing extravaganza.

I WILL get organized, if its the last thing I do this summer--you mark my words!

Are you in?

{after pictures will be posted upon completion--so stay tuned}

Winner Winner

And the WINNER of the

Your Memories Captured

$25 Gift Card

is

Shaylene at The Chism Crew

Comment #16 selected by Random.org

CONGRATS!

Please claim your prize within 48 hours

{I couldn't find an email address for you}

My precious nephews are super dooper excited for your big win!

A year ago today...

A Year Ago Today

A year ago yesterday I was 40 pounds heavier.

{42 pounds to be exact--yes, I'm serious}

A year ago yesterday I felt like a third grader the night before the first day of school {times infinity}.

A year ago yesterday I was wearing a pair of your daddy's basketball shorts because they were the only thing that fit.

A year ago yesterday I was cramming in the last few chapters of "the Baby Whisperer" hoping to learn all the secrets of being a new momma.

A year ago yesterday I stayed up all night in anxious anticipation.

A year ago yesterday I sat in your room and went through all your clothes one by one. I ran my hands across your crisp bedding. I tested out the new plush rocking chair and I imagined what it would be like when I brought you home later that week and we sat down cuddled together.

A year ago yesterday, I couldn't even begin to fathom to depths to which I would love you.

And then, after a very quick c-section delivery,

A year ago TODAY--you were born!

{And my heart nearly exploded}

Happy FIRST Birthday to my smiley boy!

Tutorials I'm Loving Now

So it's time to share some of my bookmarked tutorials with my favorite peeps.

I fell in love with each of these projects and have added them to my mile long to do list.

Diaper Pouch Tutorial

by Noodlehead

I am wishing I had one of these for Baby W's diapers.  Loving the Amy Butler fabric she used too!  As soon as I learn to sew this project is at the top of my list.  Visit Anna at Noodlehead for more fabulous tutorials.

Long Stemmed Fabric Flowers

by Snowy Bliss

Glorious! Just glorious, I tell ya!  Fun flowers that last all year long! I would even spray them with some pretty smelling perfume. Head over to Snowy Bliss and say hi to Anj--you'll love her to pieces!

Mini Makeup Roll Tutorial

by {Make}

Ok, I NEED to have this now! Why can't I just learn to sew already?!

This would be perfect for my "purse make up"! And the tutorial gives you each and every step.  Not to mention Kelly just so happens to have one of the cutest blog designs I have ever seen!

Homemade Playdough

by Homemade by Jill

This beautiful picture inspires me to make playdough pronto!

Baby W will just love this {as long as he doesn't try to eat it}.

My sista-in-law introduced me to Homemade by Jill and I am officially obsessed with her crazy awesomeness and talent--go visit her and you'll see what I mean.

Happy Blog Stalking!

Cake Pop Recipe

 Easy Cake Pop Recipe

Perfect for any party or get together, these super easy cake pops are sure to rock your world!  A quick shout out to my beautiful and talented sista-in-law, Lyndsi, who was patient in teaching me to make these glorious yummies.

 Want to learn how to make these for yourself?

Here are the step by step instructions with pictures.

Feel free to leave a comment with any questions.

Ready, set, go!

Supplies:

Devils Food cake mix {and ingredients listed on box}

1/2 package of chocolate frosting

White Chocolate Candy Melts {2 bags from Michael's}

Candy sticks {from Michael's}

Styrofoam

Gel Food Coloring {NOT liquid}

Foil

Vegetable Oil Spray

Shortening {large spoon full}

Step One:

Line your large cake pan with foil. 

Now grease the foil with vegetable oil spray. 

Step Two:

Follow the recipe on your cake mix and bake your cake as directed. 

 Allow the cake to cool.

 Step Three:

Put your baked cake in a large mixing bowl.

 Use your hands to crumble the entire cake. 

Add about 1/2 of the package of chocolate frosting to the crumbled cake.

The chocolate frosting is what acts as a glue to hold the cake balls together.

Now its time to get dirty.

Use your hands to mix the frosting evenly throughout the crumbled cake mix until the cake mix is well moistened. 

Your cake mix should be moist enough to shape into a large mound and keep its shape.

  And if your hands don't look like this, then you're doing it wrong {lol}.

Step Four:

Roll your cake mix into 1 inch balls using the palms of your hands.

You should be able to get 35-40 cake balls from a single batch of cake mix.

Step Five:

Now we prepare the chocolate shell.  Pour one entire package of white chocolate candy melts into a microwave safe bowl.  Follow the melting instructions on the package.  *Be sure not to burn the candy melts or they will taste super yucky*

Pull out your melted white chocolate and stir thoroughly with a spoon until COMPLETELY smooth.  Once smooth, add a large spoon full of shortening {Crisco} to the white chocolate to thin out the consistency a bit. Stir thoroughly again.

Step Six:

Take a cake pop and dip into the white chocolate about 1 inch. 

 And then place it into the center of your cake ball.

This will act as a glue keeping your cake pop and stick attached.

Then place your cake pop in the Styrofoam to harden.

Continue with the remaining cake pops. 

Step Seven:

Now you are ready to coat your cake pops in the delicious white chocolate.

This is the most tricky step of the entire recipe.  It took me some practice before I was good at evenly coating the chocolate on the pop.

The key is to place the pop in the chocolate at a sideways angle with one hand.  Using the other hand, spoon the chocolate mixture all around the pop.  Try to do this as quickly as possible before the chocolate begins to harden and get lumpy. 

Once you have evenly coated the pop, gently tap the stick on the side of the bowl to get off any excess chocolate that would drip.

Step Eight:

Now its time to make your pops look extra pretty.  Use the remainder of your white chocolate for the drizzle.  If you run out, make more following the steps above. Add the GEL food coloring of your choice until you receive your desired color.  The liquid food coloring will immediately harden and ruin your chocolate. 

Fill a Ziploc bag with your colored white chocolate.  Cut a small hole in one corner of the Ziploc back so that you can drizzle the colored chocolate over your pops. 

Now let your pops dry and then you are done!

Lyndsi and I preferred the way the cake pops taste after they have chilled in the refrigerator for a bit. 

I am so making these at the next baby shower I throw {that's right Kristyn}!

How pretty are these bad boys?! 

We had a handful of hungry little kiddos anxiously awaiting the completion of our cake pop project.  Let's just say the cake pops were a big hit amongst my niece and nephews.

 Check out my Nephew {Lil C}--it doesn't get much cuter than this:

 Here's the rest of the adorable gang eating their yummies:

Enjoy! 

Happy Baking!

Click HERE to check out all the parties I link to!